Recovery by Numbers

12, the minutes it takes to get to the hospital by life flight. 15, days in the PICU. 13, days on antibiotics. 46, the day that Gus took a first step with his left foot. 28, the number of times we have watched the 'Crystal Mickey' episode of Mickey Mouse. 1280, Gus's mL fluid goal for each day. 4, how many times we had to put the feeding tube back in. 500+, hours of the liquid mind radio station played on Pandora. 2, the months ago that I deleted a section of information in my brain for more storage.

I'm pretty sure the deletion included the location of anything important, and all of my internet account passwords. In this 'medical know-all' section I have stored every important exam, stat, report or number Gus has had while in the hospital. It was my way of getting through the minutes in the beginning. Today, I am storing information that I can use when we get home. I have realized that being a hospital mom is a learning experience. All moms and dads that have been in the PICU with a child will know exactly how I feel.

There are some numbers that matter the most from our hospital experience;

Numerous, people that helped Gus through his life saving experience and recovery. We start counting with the people who responded to him first. Getting to know you and having you come visit us has been a blessing. We are so thankful for our hospital family and how caring they have been. Gus will miss playing with you everyday and we feel like you are apart of our family. Every single technician and nurse has helped us in a different and needed way. His therapists are smart, patient and caring. They have given our family the courage to continue through recovery. It was Gus's doctors that were confident and made all the right decisions. They gave Gus every chance possible and he took it.

Endless, the number of prayers and blessing our family has received.  Surrounded with love and protection is how we have gotten through this experience. Your prayers and thoughts for Gus have all been felt and used. The support makes him mentally and physically strong. When his friends care, it encourages him to get better. We have truly been blessed with the best family and friends. This is something I took for granted before, but I will never forget again.

55, the day Gus gets to go home! I'll probably still try to weigh Gus's diapers to get his urine output. I'll count every ounce of liquid that he drinks and convert it into milliliters. I can eventually forget how many centimeters his feeding tube measured, what Gus's kilo weight is, and what his daily vital numbers show. We are so excited to take the next step in recovery and transition home. We know that Gus can do it and that he is ready for another challenge. 

10, times I have cried because I am so happy and scared at the same time. Countless, times when Gus should have been scared, but he wasn't. 100, percentage of determination and courage that Gus shows. 0, the number of days that I will go without telling him that I love him and that I am so proud of him.